The present invention relates generally to protective eyewear especially protective eyewear for protecting a user's eyes during a sporting event. More particularly, the present invention relates to protective sports eyewear having a flexible base in combination with a rigid protective element to protect the eyes of a wearer from contact while maintaining a secure fit.
The current improvement to the protective eyewear enhances the protection of the wearer's eyes and versatility of the eyewear itself while also being more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Specifically, the current invention protects a wearer's eyes while allowing the frame to fit more closely to the wearer's head while still maintaining a rigid protective element which may optionally be removed or replaced as desired by the wearer.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that protective eyewear for sporting events has existed for years. However, most protective eyewear includes frames and/or lens elements which do not flex to fit a wide variety of different users' facial shapes, and thus, are not comfortable for a wide variety of users. Furthermore, many of these types of protective eyewear used in other fields, including contact sports, may become uncomfortable for a variety of different wearers as the eyewear does not fit closely to the user's face, and furthermore, may actually hamper the wearer's performance as the eyewear may be a source of irritation or distraction. For example, in Du Bois, U.S. Pat. No. 2,422,534 there is disclosed a protective eye shield which includes a curved frame and a flat lens piece used to protect the wearer's eyes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,506 Hoffmaster, there is disclosed a safety goggle having a readily attachable and replaceable lens and includes a fixed sized base for contact with the user's face.
In Hussey (U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,779) a sports goggle is disclosed with venting so as to provide for ventilation for the user. Allegedly, the goggle incorporates a system of high and low pressure areas external to the goggle to increase ventilation of the enclosed eye cavity to prevent fogging of the goggle lens.
Darnell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,747, discloses a protective eye mask for sports including a horizontal frame member forming an eye mask frame which defines a cage and a frame having at least an upper frame and lower frame segments. Furthermore, the protective eye mask of the '747 patent provides an improved eyewear device for addressing problems inherent from resulting impacts while also precluding fogging or otherwise impeding a user's vision during game play of a sport such as lacrosse.
Unfortunately, the conventional prior art eyewear does not have the structure to adequately fit a variety of faces of individuals of a participant of a sporting event and needs to be more comfortable to wear while also providing protection to the user's eyes. This prior art eyewear is composed of materials that would not adequately flex, bend, or shape to fit comfortably around the face of users and protect the eyes of participants in a sport such as lacrosse, hockey, football, or the like. For example, the conventional eyewear of the prior art lacks a multi-piece frame design while incorporating rigid protective elements which are necessary to protect the eyes of a participant from impact with solid objects at high speeds of which may occur during participation in a sporting event.
Accordingly, there is a need for protective eyewear which adequately protects a wearer's eyes while being comfortable to wear by a variety of users with different facial shapes. Furthermore, there is a need for protective eyewear which provides for an unimpeded vision while being comfortable to wear for the extended amount of time necessary for participation in a sport or the like.